MORE NEWS, 7-2 (OBAMA ANNOUNCES BIGGEST EFFICIENCY EVER; WHO BOUGHT THE ENERGY/CLIMATE BILL; CALIF RULES F-I-T LEGAL)

OBAMA ANNOUNCES BIGGEST EFFICIENCY EVER
President Obama Announces New Light Bulb Standards; Biggest energy saver in history of Energy Department
Andrew deLaski, Steven Nadel, Glee Murray, June 29, 2009 (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy)

"New national minimum energy efficiency requirements for light bulbs will save more energy than any other standard ever issued by any administration, according to a coalition representing environmental and consumer organizations, state government, and utilities. The new standards…will make the hundreds of millions of fluorescent tube lamps that light offices, stores, and factories more efficient. They also will phase out conventional incandescent reflector lamps, effectively extending the phase out of inefficient incandescent products initiated by Congress in 2007 to the common cone-shaped bulbs used in recessed light fixtures and track lighting…

"According to the Department of Energy (DOE), lighting uses nearly 40% of all electricity used in commercial buildings…[Announced by President Obama, the standards] affect the more than 500 million fluorescent tube lamps and 265 million reflector lamps sold each year in the United States…"

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"…[The new standards] will save up to 1.2 trillion kilowatt-hours over thirty years, an amount about equal to the total consumption of all homes in the U.S. in one year. Businesses and consumers will gain up to $35 billion in net savings and global warming carbon dioxide emissions will be cut by up to 594 million metric tons, an amount equal to the annual emissions of nearly 110 million cars.

"The maximum levels analyzed by DOE would have increased energy savings by another 230 billion kilowatt-hours over thirty years, or roughly enough to meet the power needs of 22 million more U.S. households for a year. The higher standards would have saved businesses and consumers as much as another $11 billion…"

When the question is efficiency, the answer can be found here. (click to enlarge)

"DOE is slated to set a total of 25 new standards during the current presidential term.

"The new lamp standards, which will take effect in 2012, will have little effect on the outward appearance or lighting performance of the affected light bulbs. For fluorescent lamps, highly efficient “T8” lamps (lamps with a 1 inch diameter) will replace “T12” lamps (which have a 1.5 inch diameter). For reflector lamps, standard incandescent and halogen technology will be replaced with highly efficient halogen infrared reflector technology, a change that will save consumers energy, but not result in any outward change to reflector lamp appearance. In 2007, Congress enacted a phase out of standard incandescent light bulbs in favor of advanced incandescent technology and other high efficiency products starting in 2012."


WHO BOUGHT THE ENERGY/CLIMATE BILL
Southern Company Dominates the Climate Lobbying Scene
Marianne Lavelle and David Donald, July 1, 2009 (Center for Public Integrity)

"Southern Company, the nation’s largest electric power generator, also had the largest force of lobbyists among the hundreds of businesses and interest groups that were seeking to influence the landmark climate change legislation that just passed the House.

"With 63 lobbyists, the Atlanta-based energy giant had nearly twice as many climate lobbyists as any other company or organization, according to registration statements filed with the Senate Office of Public Records for the first quarter of 2009. (The second quarter filings won’t be available for a few weeks.) Eleven of Southern’s climate representatives were in-house, while the rest came from a dozen different lobbying shops."

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"Southern’s interest in the bill is not surprising, since more than 80 percent of the 200 million megawatt hours of electricity its plants generate annually is fired by fossil fuel — the main source of greenhouse gases…For a comparison that illustrates just how huge Southern’s lobbying force is, look at the No. 2 power generator, American Electric Power, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, which actually has a more fossil fuel-intensive fleet and higher carbon dioxide emissions than Southern. AEP had only nine registered climate lobbyists…

"…[E]xpect more lobbying ahead, as action moves to the Senate…Although the list [of the top 10 businesses and organizations ranked by lobbyists hired on climate change in 2009] is certainly dominated by big energy generators and users, there are a few unabashed advocates of climate action on the list — most notably the political action arm of the Washington, D.C.-based Bipartisan Policy Center, headed by Jason Grumet, who served last year and in the transition as a top energy adviser to President Obama…"


CALIF RULES F-I-T LEGAL
California's Attorney General Says Feed-in Tariffs Legal in USA
Paul Gipe, June 29, 2009 (Wind-Works)

"… California's Attorney General (AG) argued that feed-in tariffs as proposed in California are not only permitted under federal law but that they should be used to encourage the rapid growth of renewable energy…The submission, part of hearings by the California's Public Utility Commission (PUC) on whether the state can meet its Renewable Portfolio Standard, is potentially far-reaching because feed-in tariff opponents often raise the specter of federal-government intervention on the grounds that renewable tariffs violate federal law.

"The AG is the legal representative of the government of California. However…It is the PUC that will rule on whether to use feed-in tariffs and, if so, what rates should be set…[T]he filing by the AG has created a stir not only in California but nationwide for several reasons, not the least of which is that California's AG is… Jerry Brown…[former] governor of California from 1975-1983 and…widely recognized…for the massive development of renewable energy in California during the early 1980s. The majority of the wind and solar generating capacity operating in the state was installed during that period."

Then and future Governor Brown's 1978 FiT was the world's first. (click to enlarge)

"California won its reputation as a leader in renewable energy and energy conservation during Brown's administration and has lived off that reputation for nearly a quarter-century. It was under Brown's leadership that the then PUC created the world's first successful feed-in tariff…Brown has said that he plans to run for governor again in 2010.

"The AG's filing specifically says that the PUC 'has sufficient legal authority to set feed-in tariff rates to promote the adoption of distributed generation.' Moreover, the AG goes on to encourage the PUC 'to proceed with its efforts and to set the feed-in tariff rate at a level that encourages a significant increase in the megawatts of distributed renewable energy available in California.'"

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"Feed-in tariff opponents have argued that the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), a part of 1978's National Energy Act, precludes renewable tariffs based on the cost of generation…The AG counters that…there are ways to meet PURPA's requirements while meeting the need to rapidly develop renewable energy through what amounts to setting a tariff based on the cost of generation…

"Equally as important, the filing squarely confronts the Supreme Court's decades-old [Midwest Power case] decision throwing out an early feed-in tariff in Iowa on PURPA grounds…The mere threat of the old Midwest Power case was used effectively to kill a proposed Renewable Energy Sources Act in Iowa earlier this year…Feed-in tariff proponents are breathing a sigh of relief…"